Top 40 (Another Volume)

Overview

Oops, he did it again. Ten years down the line, Brown revisits the Top-40 playlist— and it turns out, a lot has changed! This isn’ t a sequel. This isn’ t even like the time Taylor Swift re-recorded her early albums due to rights issues. Top 40 (Another Volume) is a brand-new sonic adventure. This is a book that anyone can pick up and read; it will provide a friendly embrace, like a miracle on the dancefloor. But fans of the previous Top 40 will find the poet navigating familiar issues like substance use or Bay Area gentrification as well as entirely new challenges like parenthood and aging. Brown has lived more and lost more. Fall Out Boy’ s crass rewrite of “ We Didn’ t Start the Fire” becomes an unexpected platform to mourn a mentor. Kylie Minogue’ s summer hit “ Padam Padam” evokes a painfully unresolved friendship. Take a long drive with the radio on. In this long-anticipated follow-up to one of Roof Book’ s classic titles, Brandon Brown shows us new ways of listening to and engaging with culture.

Author Biography

Brandon Brown is the author of Work and The Four Seasons. In 2024, Free Poetry published his translation of the extant works of the troubadour Raimbaut d'Aurenga, Joy Is My Hotel. In 2026, Roof Books will publish a new book, Top 40 (Another Volume). Brown's writing on art and culture has appeared in Art in America, Frieze, The Believer, Fanzine among other venues. He has been the recipient of the Beauchamp Prize for Critical Art Writing and a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship in poetry. He is a co-editor at Krupskaya Books and publishes the zine Panda's Friend. He lives in Richmond, CA Brandon Brown Brandon Brown is the author of several books including, most recently, Work and The Four Seasons. In 2024, Free Poetry published his translation of the extant works of the troubadour Raimbaut d'Aurenga, Joy Is My Hotel. In 2026, Roof Books will publish a new book, Top 40 (Another Volume). Brown's writing on art and culture has appeared in Art in America, Frieze, The Believer, Fanzine among other venues. He has been the recipient of the Beauchamp Prize for Critical Art Writing and a National Endowment of the Arts fellowship in poetry. He is a co-editor at Krupska.